Splott artist uses outdoor mural to welcome Afghan refugees in their own language

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Culture
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Local painter Sahar Saki has brought colour and Farsi to Pearl Street and is now selling postcards of her work to raise money for refugees

27 Pearl Street frequently has messages of equality and diversity painted on its walls by owner Sianed Jones

A local artist is using the walls of Splott to aid and welcome Afghan refugees.

Sahar Saki, 35, has painted a mural on a Pearl Street house which uses the Farsi and Dari languages to greet Afghans new to Cardiff.

Her message, which reads ‘Afghan refugees welcome to Wales,’ was originally painted in English by the house owner, Sianed Jones, before the Iranian born artist got in contact and offered to translate it.

“I thought it would be really nice if an Afghan refugee just passed by and saw their language on the wall, it would really feel welcoming,” says Sahar.

Sahar hopes to see more of Farsi, Dari and other Middle Eastern languages across Cardiff

The mural was completed on 10 October and is the painter’s first outside project which she hopes will help Cardiff become more “visually diverse”.

Once finished, Sahar had photos of her work printed as postcards which she is now selling for £5 via a PayPal donation pool on Instagram.

The pool was created with a target of £500 and was surpassed within two weeks.

Sahar is now looking to schedule a meeting with the Welsh Refugee Council where she plans to receive the details of specific families in Cardiff and fund the money directly over to them.

“I thought it would be really nice if an Afghan refugee just passed by and saw their language

According to a statement released by MS Jane Hutt, the minister for social justice, Wales has passed the 50 families supported milestone for Afghan refugees and is expecting 230 more.

“I want a nice community here and I want to support my community,” says Sahar, “I don’t have access to people in Afghanistan but I want to help them and do something about this.”

Additionally, Sahar is now working on a project funded by the Arts Council of Wales. She is interviewing Iranian locals and turning their experiences into outdoor illustrations. She has completed one on Shirley Road in Roath but plans to do six more across the city.

Sahar’s proudest pieces
  • City Road Deck
  • George Best private commission
  • Nastaliq (Persian Calligraphy)